There were 1693 entries. Here's how it was judged. I downloaded all the entries into a spreadsheet, deleted 18 invalid entries (ie those not from Australia), deleted my own test entry, and ended up with 1,674 valid entries, numbered from 1 to 1674.

I then obtained a random number sequence from 1 to 1674 using the Sequence Generator at www.random.org. The first number in the sequence is the winner.

That number is 318.

And the winner is John Ryan, who has been notified. Congratulations, John.

About Me

I'm an Aussie novelist, as well as a marine scientist who has developed some of Australia's national guidelines for protection of the oceanic environment. My 28 novels include the international bestselling 11-book Three Worlds fantasy sequence, a trilogy of thrillers about catastrophic climate change, and 12 books for children. My latest book is Rebellion, Book 2 of a new epic fantasy trilogy The Tainted Realm.